BYU QB Mangum's ankle healing and he's making progress

BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum looks to pass against Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017. The BYU quarterback injured his ankle late in the game against Utah, but says it is improving heading into this week's game at East Carolina.

GREENVILLE, N.C. — BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum injured his left ankle late in the Utah game and missed the next two contests.

Mangum was hobbled against Boise State but felt better against Mississippi State. He said his ankle is improving heading into Saturday's game at East Carolina.

“It’s just progress. It’s getting better. It definitely felt better in the game (last Saturday) compared to the beginning of Boise State,” Mangum said. “It’s steadily getting stronger and feeling better. I’m happy with that because I need that to be myself and play more like myself. It feels good. I’m still not 100 percent but I’m getting closer.”

“His ankle is way better than it was last week. That helps him with his footwork and delivering the ball,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “There’s a lot of stuff we can do with him in the pocket."

The last time BYU played ECU, in 2015, Mangum completed 24 of 33 passes for 332 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He suffered a hamstring injury but returned to rally the Cougars to a 45-38 victory in Provo.

Mangum left the game against East Carolina late in the third quarter after the injury and returned with 4:01 remaining. He engineered a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown run by Algernon Brown with 19 seconds left.